


99％の愛の味

by Hitsugi_Zirkus



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Cake, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6013234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hitsugi_Zirkus/pseuds/Hitsugi_Zirkus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"99% of the taste of love"</p><p>Clearao Week Day 1: Valentine's Day<br/>I want to be the one to make this for you. Four eggs, half cup flour, eight ounces of chocolate, and fourteen kisses. I promise I’ll try to make it sweet.</p><p>In which Aoba makes Clear cake for Valentine's Day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	99％の愛の味

**Author's Note:**

> I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT CLEARAO WEEK. Best week of the year. Bless Meru and Momo for constructing it. Today is the first day, and right now I have fics outlined for each day - although whether or not I'll actually be able to write them all, we'll see. The first prompt was for "Valentine's Day", so here we are! For this fic, you can say it takes place in the same AU as the CHiRAL Cafe, since Konoe from Lamento makes a guest appearance! (Also how could I resist this setting when Clear was Confirmed Patissier?? Pls.)
> 
> Song title and opening quote are lyric references to KAITO's song "Sweet's Beast". If I had more time, I'd make this fic more...explicit to suit the mood of that song, but I hope this will still be enjoyable to read. (You'll get your fucking-in-chocolate-sauce smut cliche soon, Clearao. Soon...)

_ "甘い 甘い チョコにも勝る想い" _

_ "My feelings are much stronger than sweet sweet chocolate" _

* * *

 

The scent of sweets clung to him like a perfume. Whenever he came out of the kitchen, batter on his fingertips and icing smeared on his uniform, he smelled sweet, like cream and chocolate and strawberries. 

It was a scent Aoba really found himself loving. Since he was stuck serving things like sweets all day in the cafe, one would think he’d sooner or later come to dislike the scent, but that simply wasn’t the case. How could he hate it when he knew the one that made all the little cakes and cookies, had seen his smile as he whisked the mixtures, had tasted all that sugaryness himself when he kissed the cute and bubbly patissier? 

Okay the last part was a lovely bonus that only Aoba could indulge in, but there was no denying that Clear was just as sweet as the pastries he made, and it was a big part of why Aoba loved his job. 

That being said, Aoba did not look as good covered in egg and flour as Clear did. His wrist was tired within a few seconds of awkward whisking, and his memory was terrible with keeping up how long certain things had to stay heated on the stove. Aoba was just a waiter at the cafe, so of course there wasn’t anything more complicated than making coffee that he was trained to do. 

It didn’t stop Aoba from wanting to try his hand at making a small treat for this special day. 

_One cup unsalted butter. Four eggs, four egg whites - wait, those are two different things!?_

He’d come to work early to put up some last-minute decorations - some hearts and cupids dangling from the ceiling, some red and white and pink streamers hung at the corners and above the doors, smoothing the new red tablecloths over the tables, things like that. Bags of ingredients in each hand, Aoba came by two hours earlier, leaving him groggily trudging into the cafe at five in the morning. The recipe he’d looked up called for an hour of cooling time, but he was trying to factor in potential failures and having to do things over. 

He was just so absolutely _horrible_  at cooking and baking, everything coming out either overcooked or bland. Somehow though, over the course of him and Clear dating, Clear hadn’t ever once tossed out or rejected food Aoba had made him, which did boost Aoba’s spirits in this particular instance. He didn’t have to fear Clear outright refusing the treat, but that didn’t mean Aoba wanted to slack off in the preparations. Sincerity was key to romantic gestures, or so Sei told him.

_Eight ounces bittersweet chocolate… Haha, I remember that time Clear took a bite of the bitter chocolate. The face he made was so priceless. “Sweet, chocolate should always be sweet!” he’d said. He’s really like a kid sometimes… Ah… Then he said, “Kiss me, Aoba-san, that’ll cure the bitterness right away.” ...Ack! I’m blushing! Ahhhhhh--!_

Maybe it was a bit unoriginal in a way, giving something edible and sweet to a patissier. Everything Clear made had to be a lot tastier than anything Aoba could hope to make. It had been on Sei’s suggestion that Aoba do this, his twin brother telling him to make sure he poured all of his feelings into it, because that was what would make Clear happiest. And well, Aoba had to agree to that. He knew Clear loved working in the kitchen, and he always said his favorite food was what Aoba cooked. There was no doubt that he meant that from the bottom of his heart, and that was what made Aoba so sure he wanted to go through with Sei’s suggestion. Clear was just so utterly sincere in all that he did, and easily brought a bright atmosphere wherever he was, so Aoba was ready to roll up his sleeves and work honestly for him too. 

Back when Clear had confessed to Aoba, out in the rain like some movie cliche, Aoba at first hadn’t been so sure how to take such sincerity, nor was he certain he knew how to hold such an uninhibited heart full of unbridled affections. 

But, in the end, a heart like that was the exact reason why it eventually became so easy to fall in love with Clear.

So, even if it was just in a gesture like this, Aoba wanted to make a cake for Clear in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, to show that he loved Clear too, from the bottom of his heart. 

Aoba thought about that, over and over as he folded the mixture in the bowl, tasting every so often to make sure the consistency and flavor were okay. 

_Sprinkle in the salt and vanilla… Mix a little more, then taste… Ha, now_ this  _is a job I’m used to. Clear always runs out of the kitchen, mixing bowl in his arm as he tells me excitedly to taste-test for him. He gets in trouble for it, but it never stops him_.

The memories came fondly in Aoba’s mind. One thing Clear did would remind him of another, and one kiss would recall the image of two or three more. Trying to show the appreciation and desire for more happy memories like these was the whole point in Aoba doing this. Valentine’s Day hadn’t been a day he gave much thought of, even in past relationships. 

But Clear made him giddy. He gave him those random smiles in the middle of the day, he gave him butterflies and laughter and the sweetest kisses in the world - in both sentiment and taste. True, Clear was also a person one needed to have a lot of patience with, and he was pretty childish sometimes, but those traits that had once been so strange were just points of endearment now.

The chime above the cafe’s entrance sounded, and Aoba found himself momentarily paralyzed with fear. First off, he’d forgotten to lock the door behind him, and secondly, whoever it was would discover his early morning experiments with cake. And oh no, there was a mess all over the counter now that he stopped to look--

“Aoba?” 

“Ah! Oh thank god,” Aoba let out a breath at the sight of the newcomer. “It’s you, Konoe.” 

“It’s nice to see you this morning too,” Konoe said, confused. He surveyed Aoba’s activities, undoing the scarf around his neck. “I didn’t expect you here already though. That’s rare.”

“Listen, I was,” Aoba tilted the bowl for Konoe’s inspection, “busy.”

“For the shop?”

“For Clear.” 

Konoe raised his eyebrows, but he was giving a small smile. “I didn’t know you were the romantic type. Clear has really rubbed off on you, hasn’t he?” 

Turning away from Konoe, Aoba started to mix a bit more vigorously. “Shut up, I’m allowed to be romantic every once in awhile! Here, taste this.” Without delay, Aoba dipped one of the unused plastic spoons in the batter and gestured for Konoe to take it.

Konoe squinted at the dark batter suspiciously, but nonetheless gave some tentative licks. He licked the spoon clean, but his expression was neutral. But when he finished, he hummed in consideration. 

“It’s good,” he finally determined. “I think Clear will really like it. What is it?”

“Uh,” Aoba pulled up the recipe on his phone, “it’s softhearted chocolate cake.” 

“Softhearted,” Konoe repeated, his tone not betraying if he was teasing or not. 

“I am a _r_ _omantic, tender person_ ,” Aoba said defensively, albeit he lightly kicked Konoe’s leg. “Go put on your uniform or something and I’ll help you with more prepping after I put this in the oven.” 

Chuckling, Konoe slipped into the back room where the lockers were, leaving Aoba to his own devices. Despite the teasing, Aoba felt reassured with Konoe’s positive opinion of the taste. Of course, now came the hard part - making the gooey stuff into delicious fluffy stuff. 

By the time Konoe came back, Aoba had divided the batter into the heart-shaped ramekins and put them in the oven. Luckily, Aoba didn’t need to fret for long as the cooling time far outweighed the baking time, and after they came out the oven, Aoba set them aside to clean up his mess and prepare for the opening of the cafe. It was of course expected to be a busy day, with couples of all kinds coming in and out to celebrate Valentine’s Day - even singles were known to definitely buy some desserts to treat themselves. 

“Incoming boyfriend,” Konoe called from outside, where he was writing down the specials on the frame stand. 

"Ah! Ah, uh..." Aoba teetered back and forth from fleeing to the kitchen to meeting Clear. The decision was soon made for him though when a figure all in white dashed past Konoe and into the cafe.

" _Aaaaa-oooooooo-ba-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!_ "

Aoba should've been used to Clear tackling him into hugs by now. But he wasn't. He nearly toppled to the floor from the force of Clear crashing into him, and he suspected the only reason he was still upright was because Clear had tightly embraced him. As if that wasn't jarring enough, Clear gave him no room to orientate himself as he spun him around, kissing his cheeks. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Aoba-san! Happy Valentine's Daaay~!" 

"C-Clear, please, I'm dizzy-- K-Konoe is watching!" 

"Ah, good morning, Konoe-san!" 

"G-Good morning... Is Aoba going to be okay?"

"Eh?" Clear finally stopped all his animated movements to look at Aoba. He shrank down a bit seeing how his boyfriend was frowning. Of course, while he got busy apologizing, Aoba had the moment to properly take in Clear - or rather, what he had with them. 

"What's with these balloons? Wasn't Youji supposed to get them?"

At the observation, Clear lit right back up again like Christmas lights. "They're not for the cafe, they're for you, Aoba-san! Happy Valentine's Day! This is part one of your gifts!" 

"Part one? Wait, what did you do... These balloons are--?" He'd assumed they were for the cafe because, well, Clear had almost _two dozen_ shiny red balloons with him, all hearts with varying images of flowers and fonts proclaiming love and announcing the day. Clear had bought all these balloons for him. For _him_. How had he not been blown away by carrying all those? The visual alone was just... 

Trying to be patient, Aoba calmly proposed they put the balloons at back and that Clear start putting on his uniform since opening time was soon. He just managed to catch Konoe's light laughter as Aoba slipped to the back as well. He let out a huge sigh as he leaned against the counter, carefully blocking out the cakes from view. By now, he'd dribbled raspberry sauce onto the cakes, before carefully putting on the finishing touch of raspberries on the top. On the surface, they still looked rather plain in Aoba's opinion, but the cakes were by far the fanciest thing he'd ever tried to make. So he hoped they'd taste good as well, and that Clear would like them.

Speaking of Valentine's Day gestures - it completely figured Clear would pull a stunt like this. Aoba thought he'd taught Clear the value of taking things in moderation when he caught him last Valentine's Day making chocolate _everything_. It had been so much that they'd had to give most of them off to their friends for the next few days. Aoba had kind of forgotten the incident ever since then, but thinking of it now, he didn't know why he ever thought surprises shouldn't be anticipated this year as well. Clear was really a handful with this kind of thing. But, he supposed he couldn't stay mad. It was always touching to know Clear thought of him and loved him this much. 

"Aoba-san, Aoba-san~" Clear came out from the locker room all dressed in his uniform and apron - although it looked like he'd swapped out the plain white one with a frilly pink one for the day. 

"Clear, what are you wearing?"

"Do you like it? It's the apron I wore on one of our dates, do you remember?"

How could he? The memory of Clear's bare back, broad shoulders, and his naked butt were forever ingrained in Aoba's head - because that apron had been the only thing Clear had worn. Deciding it was a bad idea to entertain images of his naked boyfriend in his head, Aoba reached out to pinch Clear's nose, making him let out a nasally squeak. 

"You're really overdoing it again this year too, aren't you?"

"Ehh, is there something wrong with that? Did Aoba-san not like the balloons after all?"

"They're really nice, but the other gifts aren't in an abundance like that, are they?"

Clear looked like he either didn't understand the question or he hadn't heard it. Finally he glanced to the side, pouting his lips as he started to rock on his heels. 

"Clear?" Aoba said, tone going flat. "What did you do?"

"Nothing yet," Clear said in a small whine. "But Aoba-san, what's wrong with letting you know how much I love you?"

"With letting me know?" Aoba cracked and burst out in little laughs. "What makes you think your feelings for me are a secret? If anything, they're really obvious." And it was true. In everything Clear did, there was the palpable vibrancy of his feelings filling his actions and words. His heart always seemed to be overflowing with his emotions, like bubbles taking to the sky or sunshine spilling into the ocean. They were captivating and obvious things. So the fact that Clear thought he suddenly had to _prove_ he loved Aoba was a bit silly to him. There was nothing to prove. Aoba knew the song of Clear's heart well.

But as for his own heart and his own feelings... Aoba worried if his feelings were able to make it to Clear's full, loving heart. 

Softening his expression, Aoba gave up on his lecture and instead reached out to tousle Clear's hair. "You don't have to go all-out every year just to let me know you love me. I already know. If you just keep doing things like normal, that's enough for me. But I do want to let you know your efforts aren't for nothing. Because, Clear, I," he smiled, lowering his hand to caress the right side of Clear's face, "I really love you."

"Aoba-san..." Clear's eyes were glittering full with emotion. 

"Th-that's why... I wanted to put in some effort this year and, um," he stepped to the side to reveal the cakes, "happy Valentine's Day, Clear."

"Ah! Uwaaah!! Aoba-san!" Clear picked up one of the heart-shaped cakes, beaming at it like it was the most amazing thing he'd seen. "Aoba-san, did you make these? For me?" 

"W-well, yeah. You're supposed to give sweets to the person you like, so..." Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Aoba started to fidget in place. 

Practically bouncing in place, Clear asked, "May I have one now? Are they ready?"

"Yeah, they've already cooled long enough, I think."

"In that case, thank you for the food!" Clear carefully tore off a piece and popped it eagerly into his mouth. He made elated noises, swaying his hips happily. Aoba thought the entire display completely ridiculous, but he supposed if that meant Clear liked it, then it was all okay. Not that he expected Clear to hate it, but seeing his boyfriend's theatrics did put him at ease. 

"Delicious~ Aoba-san, it's so delicious~!" 

"That so? I'm glad then."

"When did you make these?" Clear asked, already starting to eat more of the cake. 

"Ahh, earlier this morning."

"They do taste fresh, That makes it even better~ The center is so soft and tasty, aah~" 

Aoba quickly tried to kick his mind out of the gutter, yet he felt like he didn't help matters by asking, "Is - is it sweet enough?" 

"Really sweet, and juicy," he said, slipping one of the raspberries between his lips, where he then let out another pleased sound. 

"That makes me happy then." Aoba let out a little laugh, tousling Clear's hair again. "Happy Valentine's Day, Clear. I - I hope my feelings got through to you." 

At that, Clear smiled, big and overflowing with happiness. "A heart-shaped cake full of Aoba-san's feelings - it's truly the best gift I have. Besides you." 

"Ehhh, what's with that sudden smooth talk?" Blushing and huffing slightly, Aoba took note of the smear of raspberry sauce at the corner of Clear's lips. Holding on to his boyfriend's shoulders, Aoba leaned in to lick the sauce off - then, he pressed a kiss there before moving to claim Clear's lips with his own. He felt Clear's surprise, but then his eager reciprocation, his arms embracing Aoba again as a shower of kisses fell between their smiling mouths, the love-drenched flavor of chocolate coating their tongues.

Yeah, there was no doubt about it - Aoba's secret pleasure would always be indulging in the sweet taste of Clear's kisses.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Konoe was probably about to walk into the kitchen before hearing all that double entendre and then he just quickly turned the other direction. Huehue.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day to all!


End file.
